Back in time

As if Cody doesn't have enough attractions to lure in suckers tourists from across the globe, there's a wee little spot that could totally be right out of a Louis L'Amour novel.  Growing up, I knew about Old Trail Town, I just never got around to visiting it.  It was for the tourists!

So tonight I popped my Old Trail Town cherry and it was dusty, musty, and a little bit creepy.  There are original buildings that were built in the late 1800s, filled with all the accoutrement of the old west homesteaders.

We could only peer into some of the cabins, and others were open so we could walk right in and get a closer look at the seemingly ancient tools, clothing, furniture, and photos.  Clearly these places are left "as is", as they were caked with dust and left to naturally age.

 One whole barn was filled with rickety, rotting, deteriorating wagons.  Most of the buildings had walls lined with stuffed animal heads which creeped the shit out of the kids, and with each room we entered, we left with a feeling of unease.

Rampant cobwebs, thick dust, decaying furniture, and the unnerving gaze of the animal heads with their fake eyes just gave us the willies, and what I saw in one window nearly made me shit my pants.  We walked along a boardwalk peering into the open doors of the small cabins when we came to one cabin with the front door locked.  I leaned into the window to get a


closer



look



inside......



.........

...and THIS son of a motherfucking whore was staring back at me.

NOT. FUNNY.

Almost nearing the end of our old west journey, we found a bright and colorful saloon with real bullet holes in the front door.  We bellied up to the bar and had ourselves a fine family portrait in the huge mirror, then skeedaddled out of there, leaving Old Trail Town in a trail of dust.

Don't get me wrong, it was a very cool place; however, when one is accustomed to the pristine and perfect conditions of say, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, this caught us a little off guard.  The authenticity and the history living within those small buildings was fascinating, grody, and interesting all at once for a tangible look into the old west.